Zimbabwe’s liberation war veterans of the 1970s have once again urged Zimbabweans to remove President Robert Mugabe from power saying he has ruined the once prosperous nation while hiding behind the so-called “devastating effects” of targeted Western-sponsored sanctions imposed on him and his inner circle.

The call was made war veterans leaders – Christopher Mutsvangwa, Victor Matemadanda, Dumiso Dabengwa and several others - at a meeting in Harare on Thursday, attended by over 1,000 former freedom fighters.

According to NewsDay and other publications, they claimed that Mr. Mugabe has become a liability in Zimbabwe as he has no clue of revitalizing Zimbabwe’s economy.

The three said it is now time for the 93 year-old President Mugabe to step down and hand over power to people who are capable of running Zimbabwe.

Mutsvangwa and Matemadanda are aligned to a Zanu PF faction said to be led by Vice President Emerson Mnangagwa, which want him to succeed Mr. Mugabe. The other faction, Generation 40, is allegedly led by First Lady Grace Mugabe.

Some of the war veterans were arrested recently when they urged Mr. Mugabe to step down. They insist that they won’t vote for Mr. Mugabe in the 2018 presidential election, which he will contest at the age of 94.